This bloke is an inspiration
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This bloke is an inspiration
This is a review of my book ''Return Ticket Please'' that was written by Penny Lancaster Senior Occupational Therapist at Central and North West London Mental Health NHS Trust in April 2007 for the British Journal of Occupational Therapy.
''This is an autobiographical account of Derek's journey from early age into alcohol dependency,his subsequent stroke and his recovery both from the stroke and his addiction.At first glance the book looks like another 'my drug/alcohol hell' story favoured by celebrities but it is in fact far from it.This book is refreshingly honest,unpretentious and written in a matter of fact style,with a core message that will resonate for many.At its heart is a journey,beginning with Derek's slide into alcohol dependency through boredom and decreasing confidence,increasingly feeling dependent on alcohol to cope with new people and situations.Derek describes how he regained his confidence and developed a new interest in life through the meaningful goals and challenges of his physiotherapy and occupational therapy.Although the aim of this rehabilitation is his recovery from his stroke,Derek also successfully manages to use it to help him conquer his alcohol addiction without any help from addiction treatment services of any kind,but with the constant support of his wife,Debbie.Derek refers to alcohol throughout the book not as a substance but as 'Him'-the devil.At first I was a little uncomfortable with alcohol being given superhuman powers,but this is a story about a battle of wills and thinking in this way undoubtedly helped Derek to win.
Derek describes incredible resourcefulness and skill in keeping his alcohol use secret from his parents,wife,friends and employers.He manages to hold down jobs despite needing to drink before starting work.It is interesting to see how the tragic events of a stroke actually enables him to turn this resourcefulness to positive effect.This is an enjoyable and ultimately uplifting story that will help many understand alcohol dependency and stroke recovery despite their background
''This is an autobiographical account of Derek's journey from early age into alcohol dependency,his subsequent stroke and his recovery both from the stroke and his addiction.At first glance the book looks like another 'my drug/alcohol hell' story favoured by celebrities but it is in fact far from it.This book is refreshingly honest,unpretentious and written in a matter of fact style,with a core message that will resonate for many.At its heart is a journey,beginning with Derek's slide into alcohol dependency through boredom and decreasing confidence,increasingly feeling dependent on alcohol to cope with new people and situations.Derek describes how he regained his confidence and developed a new interest in life through the meaningful goals and challenges of his physiotherapy and occupational therapy.Although the aim of this rehabilitation is his recovery from his stroke,Derek also successfully manages to use it to help him conquer his alcohol addiction without any help from addiction treatment services of any kind,but with the constant support of his wife,Debbie.Derek refers to alcohol throughout the book not as a substance but as 'Him'-the devil.At first I was a little uncomfortable with alcohol being given superhuman powers,but this is a story about a battle of wills and thinking in this way undoubtedly helped Derek to win.
Derek describes incredible resourcefulness and skill in keeping his alcohol use secret from his parents,wife,friends and employers.He manages to hold down jobs despite needing to drink before starting work.It is interesting to see how the tragic events of a stroke actually enables him to turn this resourcefulness to positive effect.This is an enjoyable and ultimately uplifting story that will help many understand alcohol dependency and stroke recovery despite their background
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